Did History Actually Teach Us Anything? – Episode 7: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster 2010 Laura: Welcome to "Did History Actually Teach Us Anything?". The podcast where we unravel the most well-known tales of calamity, mishap, and unforeseen consequences that have shaped the course of history. And consider whether we've actually learned anything from them all these years later... In this podcast, we examine the historical events that you may think you know about already and the causes that led to them, be they icebergs or bakers ovens. We will consider whether these tragedies could have been avoided, and some of the surprising things we do differently now as a result. But this podcast, isn't just about dates and events. It's about learning from the past, drawing insights from hindsight, and gaining a deeper appreciation for the complexities of what really happened in these events we think we know so well. So get ready to encounter remarkable individuals, pivotal moments and fascinating insights that will make you appreciate health and safety and environmental management as far more than just red tape. Many people consider the Deepwater Horizon spill of April 2010 to be one of the worst environmental disasters ever. And with 507 million litres of crude oil having been pumped into the Gulf of Mexico, this makes Deepwater Horizon the most severe offshore oil spill in US history. It tragically claimed the lives of 11 workers and caused injuries to 17 others, not to mention the catastrophic impact it had, and continues to have, on the natural world. Joining us is our environmental management expert, John, who is going to begin by giving us a quick overview of the largest marine oil spill in history. John: The Deepwater Horizon was an offshore drilling rig that was owned by Transocean, but leased and operated by BP. The rig was located over an oil well that sat 1, 522 meters below the surface. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred on the 20th of April, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, just off the southern coast of the United States. To date, it is the largest marine oil spill in history. Approximately 507 million litres of crude oil spilled into the Gulf. This is the equivalent to 203 Olympic sized swimming pools. This also makes it the most severe offshore oil spill in US history, especially as only 25 percent of the oil was recovered, leaving a significant amount of background pollution. The event occurred as a result of a natural gas release, known as a blowout, which ignited a fireball which was visible from around 64km away. After 36 hours ablaze, the drilling rig finally capsized and sank to the bottom of the ocean on the 22nd of April. Oil flowed out continuously for 87 days through various parts of the underwater structure. A safety device, known as a blowout preventer, BOP, and the hole drilled in the ground to extract the oil, known as a wellbore, were the crucial points where oil was able to escape. Initially, an 8km long oil slick was seen, and remote underwater cameras reported that the well was leaking 1, 000 barrels of crude oil per day. To put this into perspective, a barrel of oil is 159 litres. That's 159, 000 litres per day. Laura: So what were the causes of the oil spill? John: The incident occurred as a result of a failure in the cement at the base of the 5, 500m deep well. This allowed a build up of methane gas in the newly drewed oil well to burst through multiple containment systems causing the blowout and subsequent explosion, which breached the structural integrity of the well and permitted the leak to occur. BP's internal investigation found that a bubble of methane gas escaped from the well and shot up the drill column, expanding quickly as it burst through, causing the explosion. However, the root cause of the Deepwater Horizon disaster was a series of preventable missteps by engineers and workers designing and carrying out a drill plan in the weeks and hours preceding the event. There were claims that Halliburton, the company responsible for injecting the cement at the base of the well, were to blame, as there were not sufficient quantities of cement - around half of the expected amount was actually injected. Additionally, workers could have diverted and vented the gas and mud mixture through a separate line, but instead, due to human error, diverted it to the mud gas separator rather than overboard. The separator was overwhelmed by the volume of gas and mud, leading to the explosion. Halliburton was later accused of destroying evidence during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, and the company agreed to plead guilty to one count of criminal conduct and paid the $200,000 maximum statutory fine. In September 2014, they agreed to settle a large percentage of legal claims by paying over a billion dollars to compensate the victims of the disaster. Laura: What initial measures were taken to stop the spill? John: Following unsuccessful efforts to activate the BOP, containment domes were attempted to be placed over the source in May, but this was unsuccessful due to the buoyancy of the gas molecules. A top kill was then attempted that involved pumping drilling mud into the well to stop the flow of oil, as the pressure of the oil and gas discharged was too great. Then in early June, a cap was installed over the blowout preventer. This was partially successful, allowing around 15, 000 barrels of oils per day to be removed by a tanker. Further improvements led to an oil extraction rate of 25, 000 barrels of oil per day. In August, a static kill procedure was employed, whereby drilling mud was pumped into the well through the broken bop. The broken bop was replaced in early September with a functioning equivalent. This allowed for a bottom kill, which involved the pumping of cement through relief wells that connected to the main well. After rigorous testing, the well was deemed completely sealed. Laura: What were the moral, legal and financial impacts of the oil spill? John Binns: A slick of oil formed that extended over 149, 000 square kilometres, which is about the area of England and Wales combined. 3. 8 million litres of oil dispersant were used to break up the oil to make it more easily digested by bacteria. Surface booms enclosed part of the slick, with the oil being either siphoned off or burnt. By June, the oil had made landfall, with an estimated 1, 770 kilometers of shoreline being polluted. It took until April 2014, four years after the initial spill, before a national response team, led by the U. S. Coast Guard and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, ended cleanup patrols. Many people associate Deepwater Horizon with being one of the world's worst environmental disasters, but the human cost should not be forgotten. 11 workers on the rig were killed, as well as 17 left injured. Many lawsuits have been filed against the organisations involved in the event, and there have been numerous settlements. For example, BP paid $20.8 billion to settle claims from government bodies, businesses and individuals. This included claims for financial loss, environmental damage, and natural resource restoration. The spill had a significant impact on wildlife, with birds, mammals, and sea turtles significantly affected. Experts are still unsure just how extensive the damage to local flora and fauna was. The oil spill had a significant economic impact on the Gulf Coast region, affecting industries such as fishing, tourism, and oil and gas production. The commercial and recreational fishing industry was particularly hit hard, with the following losses experienced: - 25, 000 jobs, - $2. 3 billion in industry output, - $700 million in wages, - and $320 million in tax revenue. BP has been held responsible for the spill and has paid billions of dollars in fines and compensation to those affected by the disaster. For example, they created a $20 billion compensation fund that was set up for those whose livelihoods were impacted by the spill. Laura: So could the oil spill have been avoided? John: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster could have been avoided if those operating the oil rig had shown more forethought. A BP report of the incident made numerous recommendations, covering issues such as: - contractor oversight and check in; - assessment of risks, well monitoring and control practices; - integrity testing practices; - and improvements in maintenance, amongst others. Generally, safety management and communication was poor. Furthermore, workers have failed to consult with one another on critical decisions and senior management had paid insufficient attention to the troubled well. Had there been a better safety culture, the event could have potentially been avoided. BP was ruled to have been responsible for the well plan, of which the insufficient amount of cement was the leading cause of the blowout and the eventual spill. As such, BP was ultimately found responsible for causing the accident. Although Transocean and Halliburton were also found to be responsible for several of the incidents that led to the fatal explosion. The spill opened many people's eyes to the risk of drilling for oil in one of the most ecologically rich, culturally important, and economically valuable parts of the world. It goes to show that damage to the environment can have far reaching effects that go beyond harming wildlife. It's very much an example of an unsustainable situation, severely impacting people, planet, and profit. Laura: What lessons have been learnt as a result of the spill? And do we do anything differently now because of it? John: To prevent another similar disaster, it is important to establish environmental baselines for regions around oil and gas production facilities, covering issues such as coastal and marine ecology, local community health, and natural resources. This will greatly help in more accurately assessing the impacts of spills to differentiate spills around oil and gas facilities from background pollution. National policies regulating ultra deep drilling and production, rig safety and inspections were increased. And the industry developed new, safer technologies including new standards for borehole cementing and oil well blow out preventers. The USA's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement has implemented new safety measures including: Heightened drilling safety standards to reduce the chances that a loss of well control might occur in the first place. Operators must have a comprehensive safety and environmental management system and have conducted third party audits of their systems. They must also have a blowout preventer that meets improved standards and to have a plan in place to respond to a worst case scenario oil spill. The aforementioned practices have been put in place to ensure that such a catastrophic ecological and economic event is unlikely to happen again in the future. Laura: Thanks for joining us on this episode of "Did History Actually Teach Us Anything?". If you enjoyed this episode, please follow our social media channels, leave us a rating and review, and share our podcast with anyone who wants to learn more about the risky side of history. And don't forget to subscribe so you'll get the next episode as soon as it's available. Join us next time to learn whether history did actually teach us anything...